Lost Again
by NickyM96
Summary: "I lost her . . . again." Post ep for Irresistible.


Title - Lost . . . Again  
  
Author - Nicky  
  
Rating - G  
  
Classification - Vignette/Angst  
  
Keywords - Angst, borderline MSR  
  
Spoilers - Irresistible  
  
Summary - "I lost her . . . again."  
  
Disclaimer - The characters don't belong to me. I'm just borrowing them for my own therapeutic purposes. They will be returned relatively unharmed to Chris Carter, or whoever wants to borrow them next, when I'm done.  
  
Notes - Written for After the Fact "Irresistible" Post Ep challenge  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *  
  
Dear God, please let her be all right.   
  
I hear those words over and over and it's not until a nurse looks sympathetically at me that I realize I'm the one saying them. Praying them, really. But it's all I can think right now. Please let her be all right this time. Because I don't know if I can take it if she's not.  
  
I find the room without any trouble, my trembling hand reaching out for the door knob. With a deep breath, I push my way inside, trying to prepare myself for anything I may encounter. But the sight I meet still shocks me none the less.  
  
"Fox," I say, not so much surprised to see him as I am by his appearance. He looks terrible. Like he hasn't slept in days. But one look at the bed tells me why. Despite all my preparations, all I can do is gasp. "Dana."  
  
The next thing I know, I'm being held up by two strong arms wrapped around me. Which is a good thing because my legs feel like jelly and I can barely stand.  
  
"Here, Mrs. Scully. Sit down. I'll get you some water," he says to me as he leads me gently into the chair next to Dana's bed. He places a cup in my hands and I can see that his are shaking as much as mine are.  
  
"I'm fine, Fox. Really I am," I try to assure him with a weak smile.   
  
"That's what she said to me," he says, glancing longingly at my daughter's still form. "I shouldn't have believed her."  
  
"What happened?" I have to keep myself from adding 'this time' at the end of my question.  
  
"She was um . . . taken. By a suspect in a case we were working on," he explains. "He knocked her around quite a bit."  
  
I look at the many bruises adorning my daughter and can see that he's trying to sugar coat the events for me. It looks like that animal did more than knock her around. It looks like he almost killed her.   
  
"I thought she was fine," he continues, stopping again to correct himself. "No, she *said* she was fine. And then insisted on returning home as soon as we wrapped up the case. But, I wasn't entirely convinced. I drove her home from the airport and dropped her off, walking her inside. She didn't like that."  
  
He lets out a little chuckle and I join him, well aware of Dana's independent streak.   
  
"I'm glad now that I did," he says sadly, casting another glance at the bed. "I told her I was staying the night. On the couch, of course," he adds quickly, his cheeks suffusing with color when he sees my grin. "When she realized she didn't have a say in the matter, she finally allowed me to help her. She had taken a fall down some stairs, so I knew she was pretty sore."  
  
I can't hide my reaction. I can't help it. Stairs? My poor baby. It's no wonder she's in the hospital. Fox gives me a guilty look and I know he wants to take the blame for this.   
  
"I know I should have made her go to the hospital after the attack, but she . . . "  
  
"Said that she was fine," I finish for him, patting his hand with my own to let him know I don't blame him. "Fox, I know my daughter. You can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do. And if she didn't want to go to the hospital, then you couldn't have forced her."  
  
"I couldn't have forced her, but her body knew what was best. I guess it just shut down on her. I went to the bathroom to get her some aspirin and she was on her way into the bedroom to get settled. She collapsed half way there. I guess the adrenaline wore off or something. She didn't have a choice about the hospital anymore. I rushed her right over. She's been unconscious the whole time."   
  
I sit for a moment, letting the story sink in. But the longer I think about it, the angrier I get. My proud, stubborn child. She got that from her father. And as much as I love that about them, it's also what has me so angry right now. Apparently I can't hide that reaction either. Fox sees it and completely misunderstands.  
  
"I'm sorry," he says, breaking the silence. "I can see that you're upset with me."  
  
"With you? Fox, why would I be upset with you?" I ask him. It's this pigheaded daughter of mine, my mind supplies. "None of this is your fault."   
  
"But it is my fault. I lost her . . . again," he practically whimpers and my heart just breaks. "We just got her back and I already lost her again."  
  
I sigh and shake my head. I can only imagine what the past few days have been like for him. The memories from the last time she was missing are still so fresh in my head. I can see that they still haunt him as well. Then to be faced so soon again with her being gone . . . I saw what it did to him the last time. And I can see what it's doing to him this time.   
  
But she's back now. I have to get him to focus on that.  
  
"Fox, stop this. You didn't lose her. Some monster *took* her. And then you found her. You found her and brought her back home."  
  
"But . . ."  
  
"No buts, young man," I say a lot harsher than I mean to. But it seems to have gotten my point across. I almost laugh at the way he snaps to attention. I guess the years of being a military wife have stuck with me. "You found her. And I want to thank you. Thank you for rescuing my daughter."  
  
He opens his mouth, probably to tell me that I don't need to thank him so I give him a look that he correctly interprets as my 'subject closed' look. I can only imagine him learning it from Dana. Because that's something she definitely got it from me, I think with some amusement.   
  
"You're welcome," is what he says instead, further rewarding me with a shy grin.   
  
He looks so much like a little boy that I can't resist ruffling his hair and kissing his cheek. It saddens me for a moment to see how unaccustomed he appears to be by the show of affection and I find myself wondering what kind of family would deny this wonderful man the love he so obviously deserves.  
  
But looking at him with Dana, I don't worry so much about that. They seem to share something that neither of them would probably label as love, but I can see it for what it really is. I watch him as he carefully takes my daughter's hand in his own and presses a gentle kiss into the palm. Something tells me it's a move he wouldn't have dared make if she were conscious. But it just proves my point, showing me again how much she means to him.   
  
I guess this is one way my prayers have been answered. She's my baby girl and I'll always worry about her. But knowing she has this man by her side who cares for her as much as I do is a relief. I know he'll watch out for her. She'll never be lost again, because wherever she goes, he won't be far behind her.  
  
The end. 


End file.
